A simple shrimp scampi

January 16, 2009 § 1 Comment

It’s freezing in DC; -4 degrees with the windchill, and everytime I go outside I think my fingers and toes are going to freeze and snap right off. I really hope Inauguration Day isn’t this bad, because then I’m gonna have to wear about 1293102938 layers while waiting out in the cold. Oh…did I not tell you that I would be going? Well, I don’t have tickets, but I will be going with friends to the National Mall, at least to tell my children that I was there that day.

Anyway, the cold makes me want to eat food even more because with cooking comes warmth, and I always think of Ina Garten’s recipe for shrimp scampi. There’s your protein from the shrimp, fruit from the lemons, veggies from the parsley (yes parsley’s an herb but it’s green so I count it as veg), and lots of yummy carbs and fats from the pasta and butter! And it really doesn’t take too much time to make. After learning how to make this, I never order this dish in restaurants anymore. It’s just a waste of money and meal on my part!

Shrimp scampi with linguine from the Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients:

vegetable oil

1 tablespoon salt plus 1 1/2 teaspoons

3/4 pound linguine

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)

1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

1/2 lemon, zest grated

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds

1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Instructions:

Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.

In a large heavy bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium low heat. Add the garlic and saute for one minute. Be careful since the garlic burns easily. Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the black pepper. Saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.

When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve. If you’re feeling a bit extra indulgent, you can add a couple pats of butter while you’re tossing the pasta. YUM.

Tagged: recipe, shrimp scampi

§ One Response to A simple shrimp scampi

Maria says:

January 19, 2009 at 1:40 pm

I’m jealous you’re going to be so close to the Inauguration! I’ll be watching it through the intimacy of a TV screen.
Your shrimp looks great. It looks like it’s got some Asian and Italian fusion going on– probably because I associate leaving the tail on the shrimp with Asian cooking.
Stay warm! – Maria X

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